Amazon has just announced the upcoming arrival of a formula with advertisements, based on the model of what Disney+ offers. In other words, the arrival of advertising is inevitable and we will have to pay more to avoid it. In France, this new formula should arrive next year.
We should have known, a few years ago, in the golden age of video streaming, that the invasion of advertising was inevitable. Netflix struck first, with varying degrees of success depending on who you ask, followed by Disney+ which revealed its plans in this area a few weeks ago. So it was only a matter of time before Prime Video followed suit.
The news will not surprise subscribers who follow the platform’s news, since the Wall Street Journal has already revealed the information in a small indiscretion published shortly before the summer. The latter is now completely official. In a press release, Amazon confirms that the famous formula with advertising will be launched in early 2024.
Advertising coming soon to Prime Video
Note that this calendar only concerns the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany. France, for its part, will have to wait until later in the year according to Amazon, alongside Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia. The firm thus plans the integration of “limited advertisements” — without specification on this point — which will help him to “continue to invest in engaging content”.
Unlike Netflix, Amazon does not plan to introduce a formula with advertisements that is cheaper than the current subscription, but rather intends to draw inspiration from the Disney+ strategy. In other words, you will have to subscribe to a second plan, $2.99 more expensive, to avoid having to pay for advertisements. It is not yet known whether this price will be similar in France, Amazon having specified that more information on this subject will arrive soon.
On the same subject — Amazon Prime Video catalog: new series and films in September 2023
It is still difficult to predict the impact of such a strategy on users. Netflix having opted for a cheaper formula and Disney+ having not yet deployed its own formula, we do not yet know whether subscribers will leave the platform en masse or not. One thing is certain, not everyone will be happy to hear the news.
Source: Amazon